Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Who is God? A review. And yes, our children can really know Him.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool crew, this year I am reviewing many homeschooling products that I have received for free. I am not paid to say nice things about the products, but I am obligated to use the product and share my honest opinions with you. In today's review, Random had no choice but the opportunity to try a Bible program, and as we know teenagers cannot be forced to say nice things.


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"Who is God? And Can I Really Know Him?" written by John Hay and David Webb is Apologia's entry into the area of Biblical worldview or what I call Bible curriculum. 


Just the facts about Who is God?
  • First in a series of four Biblical Worldview books
  • 252 page hardcover with color photos and illustrations
  • For ages 6-13
  • Classical or Charlotte Mason style
  • includes a link to download additional resources
  • Non-denominational doctrine
  • available here.


How we used it in our homeschool:

We studied the first lesson together. I downloaded the extras and each morning, we read a few pages and discussed it. Random would then answer the Make A Note of It questions in his Bible notebook. Each chapter contained quotes, photos, scriptures, prayers, questions and challenges. The material wasn't anything new to my son. I looked forward to these discussions. The one-on-one time spent going over these things with him was precious. After two weeks, he felt he would like to do it on his own. I reluctantly agreed. His older brother has been working alone on his Bible study for a second year, how could I say no? I challenged him to memorize some of the scriptures. Some questions we discussed, some he wrote about. After his lesson, I would go over his answers with him. He also recapped his lesson to me while I was working in the kitchen. 

Random's thoughts about this program:

He loves it. As a man of a few words, in describing this curriculum to me, his thumbs are up, he approaches it diligently, and calls it "all good". When you find something that works in homeschooling, stick with it. We will be moving on to the next in the series: Who Am I? and What am I doing here?

My thoughts about this book:

When it arrived, I found myself in my recliner, soaking it in. I brought it to church and showed it off to my fellow Sunday School teachers. The pictures, the illustrations, examples and discussion questions are so relevent. It is very thorough, and engaging. I can see why Random loves it, the variety, the colors and the format are appealing. It is designed very similar to Apologia's Science books for younger children. The books are beautiful and could be considered coffee table books. Yet they really are textbooks.


What I most appreciate about this book is the way they use questions throughout the lessons to draw the child in. It encourages them to think deeper about their own faith and how they are applying it to their lives. It is essentially a hands on Bible class, that strengthens our children in their faith.  

If you have read any of my reviews, you know I am not a fan of Bible workbooks in our homeschool. I want to instill the love of the word of God to my children and encourage them in the daily habit of reading the Bible. I want their faith to be their own. If I wanted them to regurgitate my faith, I'd buy a parrot. I don't ever want Bible lessons to be thought of as a disliked, boring subject by my children. I'll let grammar take that role. Apologia has succeeded in bringing Bible, faith and worldview studies into our home in an exciting manner. Like Random, I give it a thumbs up. 


I wasn't the only one to try this great book. Read what other crew members are saying about it over here.

I received this book for free and was not compensated for any of my opinions. If you are interested in participating in homeschool product reviews see my post here.

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I welcome reader comments with open arms. I also understand if you aren't the commenting or hugging type of person, you can drop me an email at accidentallyhomeschooling@gmail.com.

3 comments:

Heavenly Bodies said...

Teri;
Thanks for the great review, I love what you said about buying a parrot. That is so true I also want my boys to be excited about the Word and understand for themselves and not what I say. Because of your review I'm going to look into this product more. At 12 & 14 they are capable of studying on their own and currently do not enjoy the Life Pacs. Like you I want them to want to study, many times they will just pick up the Bible and read. While this is not an issue I like the idea of thought provoking questions to insure they are not just reading the Bible as say Moby Dick. Thanks again.

Erin @ Closing Time said...

Thanks so much for stopping by Closing Time today! Here we are both members of the TOS Crew, and today is my first visit to your blog! How did I miss you all this time? :)

I wasn't on the list for this review, but after reading yours, I may just have to go order this book. It's so tough to find a good Bible curriculum, and this looks like it would be perfect for my girls for this fall!

purple squirrel said...

Hey, Friend~ It was great to see you yesterday!

Hey~ Excellent soundbite here:
"If I wanted them to regurgitate my faith, I'd buy a parrot. I don't ever want Bible lessons to be thought of as a disliked, boring subject by my children. I'll let grammar take that role."
I bet we see that in the Apologia "literature" on this book! :D